GRASSROOTS PARTICIPATION IS VITAL

For those who have read my comments of “LET US IMPROVISE”, this is a concrete opinion for those who have commented for ideas how we are going to do it and demanded enough of talking the talk and demanded an action that will make every one start walking the walk. I am calling on all Diaspora Ethiopians and their community members and leaders, all political parties and their support groups, grassroots advocates and activists, religious organizations and their members and concerned individuals to join at a central convention place and facilitate a grand dialogue to resolve all issues that divide us.

                                                    WE ARE MANY BUT WE'RE ONE
We must urgently open dialogue on what is good for our unity in our community and the country our children will inherit.
We need to initiate broad discussion about the core issues that bind Diaspora Ethiopians. I believe there is widespread support among Diaspora Ethiopians on the need to work together on the issues of democratic institution-building for basic freedoms, unity and protection of human rights. I believe it is necessary to provide a public discussion of principles and intentions of our efforts to ensure maximum transparency and accountability.

There shall be no precondition for participation in the dialogue except for philosophical agreement on the two core principles mentioned above. Second, leadership and active participation in the dialogue must not be left entirely to the business as usual suspects of the academics, the political party leaders and the partisan advocates. All segments of the Ethiopian Diaspora community must be encouraged to participate in the dialogue. Most of all, the involvement and participation of the younger generation of Ethiopians and women is paramount.

Effective action requires active involvement of these two segments of the population. Young people and women bring dynamism, energy, fresh ideas, and renewed commitment to the cause. If there is any doubt about the enormous role women can play in defending freedom, democracy and human rights in Ethiopia, one need only look at the heroic contributions of Birtukan Mideksa. We should insist on the full engagement of women and young people, not only in this dialogue, in our community discussion activities.

We must make a clean break with the troubled dialogue of the past which emphasized ethnic, linguistic and regional differences, historical grievances and political or ideological differences.

We have a duty to mend our aching hearts with a clear message that says Ethiopians in the Diaspora have resolved to speak in one voice for the cause of democracy, freedom, unity in our community and human rights in Ethiopia.

As Barack Obama thoughtfully reflected on the situation in America, “Our problems are rooted in past mistakes, not our capacity for future greatness.” One can make the same argument for Ethiopians. We must not be prisoners of past mistakes; rather we should use genuine dialogue and consensus-building as weapons of liberation and transform ourselves into a mighty force of solidarity in Diaspora Ethiopian communities and democratic change in Ethiopia.

Our beautiful dream for the Ethiopia that our children will inherit should be one where the rule of law is woven into the fabric of the society and permeates the deepest recesses of the consciences of every Ethiopian; where every man, woman and child shall have the freedom of opportunity; where there is full legal and social equality among men and women; where one’s ethnic, linguistic or regional origins are respected and protected by law; where the free press performs its natural office of informing citizens and serving as a watchdog on government corruption and abuse of power; and where no person will be imprisoned or persecuted because of their political ideas or beliefs.

These are my “beautiful dreams” for Ethiopia, as I hope they are for many Ethiopians in the Diaspora. That is why I have committed myself to the cause. I have no illusions about the enormity of the task and difficulty of the enterprise we are about to undertake. Some well-intentioned people might be skeptical of the call to dialogue and my urgent plea on behalf of this beautiful dream. Some may consider it idealistic and impractical. Some will laugh boisterously and bet our efforts will fail. As some have disdainfully questioned many times before, some will do so again: How can some aspire to serious dialogue when some can not even talk to each other under ordinary circumstances. Let some laugh! But we should not be discouraged in our efforts to form a united Ethiopian Diaspora voice for freedom, democracy, solidarity and human rights in our communities where we live that undoubtedly will reflect back to Ethiopia. The true test of our success is in holding the dialogue by putting the urgent needs of our unity in our Diaspora all Ethiopian communities and above our own narrow interests. We must act now and begin the dialogue.

Tomorrow is too late. That’s why I am calling on all Ethiopians and ethnic communities in the Diaspora to come together with the fierce urgency of now and sit together at a dialogue of brotherhood and sisterhood and form a united alliance in respect to our ethnic communities.

We cannot afford to sit down with folded arms and wait for something to happen. We must act now as a united Ethiopian Diaspora force. If we don’t, a bad situation could become dramatically worse. We did not arrive at our present predicament suddenly or by some accident of history. What we see today has been unfolding for the last 18 years. During this period, many Diaspora Ethiopians stood watching on the sidelines in silence, and did nothing because of various petty issues not worth mentioning. That option is no longer available to us. It’s time to move on to a brand new day with ray of hope reflecting on each and every one of us.

We should all forward our ideas and a centralized convention venue with specific and concrete proposals for a Diaspora dialogue in the foreseeable future. For now, I plead earnestly with all Ethiopians and their respective ethnic communities in the Diaspora to close ranks, open hearts and minds, shake hands and once again prepare for a new dawn in our community that eventually echoing back to our homeland.

Yichalal!